A recent study by Cefas found an estimated 50% reduction in plastic bag marine litter has been seen since the 5p charge was introduced – taking nine billion bags out of circulation.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: “These figures demonstrate the collective impact we can make to help the environment by making simple changes to our daily routines. We want businesses to continue to look at what they can do to help improve our environment to leave it in a better state than we found it.”